Banksy wins award for documentary

Cloaked in a black hoodie (pictured) in his graffiti furnished den, Banksy appeared more like a Grim Reaper look-a-like left over from Halloween than the grateful recipient of one of the most prestigious prizes in British film-making.

But the Banksy brand demands anonymity and so he naturally stayed away from tonight’s British Documentary Awards (popularly known as “The Griersons”), instead sending a pre-filmed acceptance speech in which he appeared alongside a model of a monkey’s head.

Banksy won the award for Most Entertaining Documentary for his film Exit Through the Gift Shop. “The winner was a unanimous decision,” said jury chairman Emma Hindley. “It’s a flawlessly made film; original and insightful, it asks questions rather than telling you what to think and at the same time, manages to be very, very funny.”

The Bristolian graffiti artist previously appeared in similar hooded guise to explain the origins of the documentary in a promotional video. “The film is the story of when this guy tried to make a documentary about me, where he was actually a lot more interesting than I am, and now the film is kind of about him,” he said, through equipment designed to disguise his voice. The film tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant to Los Angeles who is an eccentric shopkeeper and amateur film maker.

Banksy even treated the Grierson audience to the sight of his award, customised by his good self as a piece of graf art and resembling a voodoo doll (pictured).

My personal favourite documentary of the year, Julien Temple’s superb depiction of the economic and social collapse of one of America’s greatest cities, Requiem for Detroit, was the unanimous choice of the jury for the History Today Best Historical Documentary award. The Best Cinema Documentary award went to Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson for their highly personal and extraordinarily powerful up-close portrayal of the effects of land reforms in Zimbabwe, Mugabe and the White African. Veteran documentary maker Penny Woolcock won a Trustee’s Award for her outstanding contribution to the genre.